When we got off the train at the Montserrat station, none of us could believe the view of the mountain. I was with my friends Mike, Mari and Melissa and Mike and Melissa both go to CC so we know a mountain view, but Montserrat was unlike any mountain we had ever seen. The combination of the unique rock formations, the monastery nestled high up in the cliffs, and perfectly blue sky all made for a breath-taking initial view. After taking in the views, we went and bought our tickets to take the gondola up to the monastery. The ride up was pretty cramped but offered some more great views up the mountain. Once at the monastery, we decided the best way to see the mountain would be to buy some sandwiches for a picnic lunch and hike around the mountain for the afternoon.
We found a trail map and decided on a two hour hike around some of the peaks of the mountain. It was a beautiful hike, we passed a few old chapels, some hermitages and had incredible views the entire time. It was so refreshing to get away from the city for a day and be someplace natural, definitely a much-needed trip! We ended up hiking for a few hours and then headed back to the monastery to eat our lunch and see the basilica.
The Montserrat Basilica was absolutely gorgeous. It was much bigger than I had anticipated, which surprised me when I entered. We walked up and down the aisle for a little bit, taking pictures of the main alter, the organ and some of the side-chapels when we realized that people were able to go up and behind the altar. We eventually found the side door people were entering from and, after waiting in line for a few minutes, we were up behind the altar with a great view back up the main aisle of the basilica. It was worth the wait! After coming back down, we walked around the basilica a little more before heading back down the gondola to catch our train. After waiting a little while for the train, we were headed back to Barcelona. It was a perfect day trip, very easy and cheap thanks to our metro passes (although we did have to jump the gates at the train station when we got back). It was a great way to spend a day and we had a good time talking about it over drinks that night at a few of the local bars.
Montserrat was definitely the highlight of the weekend, although the brunch Mari, Melissa, Mike and I went out for on Sunday was definitely a close second. Since being here, the thing I've missed the most (and most other kids I've met agree) is a good, hearty American breakfast. Well, we finally found a small restaurant called Milk, which is Irish-owned and is known for serving and Irish/American brunch. I settled on their eggs benedict, which came with homefries and I ordered a smoothie. We were all so happy to be eating our American-style breakfast, it made our day! I took it pretty easy for the rest of the day (I was still sore from Montserrat) and watched The Artist last night, which turned out to be a good idea (I'm apparently not the only one who enjoyed the movie...). It was a great weekend and I'm excited for my friends Eric and Ariella to visit this weekend!
Pictures (from top): Mike, Mari, Melissa and I on top of Montserrat, the view up Montserrat from the bottom of the gondola station, the view looking down from the Montserrat monastery, the inside of the Montserrat basilica
More pictures at: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151170333500481.791977.588220480&type=3&l=7454b7d008
Hasta Luego!
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